I recently had the absolute pleasure collaborating with Amara. Since I love all things green I found some amazing items in their shop which you can find below. I can’t tell you what’s my favourite but I’m definitely using the glasses the most. I love their touch of (different) green at the bottom. The plates are just perfect when I invite my friends over to have some food on our lovely terrace in the middle of the city. I also never go out without my green drink bottle anymore. I just love that it looks so elegant. You can find all the products below.

I love setting goals but this year I’m a bit late in writing them down. I can’t believe it’s almost February. I probably start every post with ‘time is flying’. Well, it’s time for my 2017 goals.

Despite 2016 being quite an unpleasant year for the world, I couldn’t complain about my tiny insignificant life. I met my little nephew in April 2016, travelled home 4 times instead of the usual one time for Christmas and every time was amazing. I also started my freelance adventure exactly one year ago and despite being poorer than before it has been a good first year for me.

I said goodbye to the year 2016 celebrating in Portugal which was a perfect end. Now, we’re already 3 weeks into the new year. I feel a little lost without setting concrete goals for this year so it’s about time I do it.

2017 Goals

A new project: I will tell you all about it in more detail in another blog post but it belongs to my 2017 goals so I will tell you a little bit about it now. I’m launching an eCommerce platform in March 2017 called Secrets of Green where I talk about all things nature and “green” and sell products from small businesses related to it. Have a look at the Instagram account aka mood board here. I want to make this project a success!

Family: This is a goal I just want to continue every year. I want to see my family at least every 3 months. I want to see my little nephew growing up and I want to be a part of his life. Last but not least, it might be also time to start my own family. Not exactly a goal for this year but I might as well start planning already.

Hygge: I recently read about this topic and it perfectly describes the journey I’m on. As I mentioned earlier, time is flying all the time. Hygge is the opposite. It’s about mindfulness and consciously enjoying the here and now with a book in your hand and a candle calming the atmosphere. I want to do things slower and I want to get rid of the feeling of missing out.

And that’s about it. I don’t want to have a million goals I can’t reach; just these 3 goals.

Enjoy this guest blog post by Jenny Holt, freelance writer, who wrote about working from home for creative people. It’s very relevant for myself and I’m sure it is for some of you, too. I hope it helps you making the right decision for yourself.

*

Are you a creative considering a move away from an official workplace and working from the comfort of your own home? A recent study by the Trade Union Congress found that the number of people working regularly from home in the UK has risen by a fifth in the last decade, now topping over 1.5 million. But the freedom offered by a home office situation isn’t for everyone. Here are some of the pros and cons to consider before taking the leap.

Advantages

Freedom

Creative people thrive on the versatility and flexibility that working from home provides – after all, there’s no knowing when the Muse will pay you a visit! Plus, you get to take holiday when you want, work around other commitments, and choose to work at your most productive time.

Independence

Creatives are also often best left to their own devices if they want to get the optimum results from their work. A micromanaging boss is the last thing you need when you’re in the throes of creating something amazing, and being at home gives you the autonomy you need to make this happen. You get to develop your best ideas and have control over your creative process, which leads to fulfillment and professional satisfaction.

Economy

Doing what you love is essential for your happiness. But it’s not always easy if the job you love doesn’t bring in as much money, or as reliable an income, as a 9-5 office job. Having your studio or office at home cuts overheads and can help make your dream job a possibility.

Disadvantages

Lack of structure

Creative people often go through spells of being swept up in the inspiration of what they’re doing, and then facing periods of relative inactivity. If you’re in a shared workspace under a boss, you’re forced to work through these dry spells, but when you work from home, you can just indulge them. Think sleeping in, staying in your pyjamas all day, getting very little done and, consequently: not being able to pay the rent.

Isolation

Working from home has many pros and cons, but one of the biggest negatives is the feeling of loneliness that can sometimes arise from working alone. When you work in a shared space like an office, you’re forced into contact with people regularly, which although can sometimes be frustrating, is a natural state for human beings. If you have no other reason to leave your house, you may find that you don’t have human contact for days on end with anyone except your immediate family, which can lead to the formation of negative thought patterns and habits.

Presenting to you the 10 most creative Christmas trees is kind of therapy for me. Usually, I go nuts every year around Christmas. I start surrounding myself with Christmas stuff mid-November and listen to Christmas music whenever I can. But this year things have changed. I’m not going to get a Christmas tree due to rational reasons. What?! I’m leaving for Germany mid-December already so I thought it’s not worth getting a Christmas tree for my London flat. I never make rational decisions when it comes to Christmas… That’s when I realised I’m getting old. Oh no!

I remember when my parents announced one day that we won’t have a real Christmas tree at home anymore. That was a couple of years ago and we now have a fake one every year. I’m almost too embarrassed to tell you that. On the other side, we don’t kill trees anymore (at least that’s what I’m telling myself). Now, I started to be my parents. Help!

But I still have my blog and I can live Christmas here. Yay! Lucky you! So that’s why I wanted to cheer you up (or myself) with the 10 most creatives Christmas trees. I recently went to a press breakfast at the Ace Hotel to see the Fabrica and the J.W. Anderson Christmas trees (see below). That inspired me to look for more unusual Christmas trees.

I finally felt a little more christmassy. I thought then it doesn’t always have to be the usual decoration or even a proper Christmas tree to celebrate the season. All the below Christmas trees inspire me and I think next year I’m going to create my own unique Christmas tree.

I don’t know about you but the older I get the more conscious I am about what I buy. That’s why I think now it’s even more important than ever to pay attention to local shops. As you know, I am a huge fan of everything art and design related so that’s why I think the Oxo Tower Wharf is one big hidden gem in central London. Well, it’s not really hidden but I have the feeling not a lot of people know that it accommodates over 25 independent shops located on two floors in the front and the back of the building. It’s also surrounded by art such as the Mise-en-abyme created by artist duo de Allegri & Fogale.

Many of the local shops at Oxo Tower Wharf are studios as well as shops so you sometimes will be able to see the designers in action. Just like Doreen who makes beautiful scarves on her weaving machine. What else can you find there? Jewellery, fashion, textiles, ceramics, glass, lighting, product design and interior accessories. I can’t tell you which shop is the best to be honest because they’re all so unique. It really depends on what you’re looking for but I’m 100% sure you will find something amazing.

Every year it’s almost a torture to find the right presents for my family. I have the feeling I gave them pretty much everything already. So it’s nice to actually tell them a little story about where their gift comes from and who the person is behind the design and the product. I love these little details and I think people with a conscious mind are looking out for products which are different and tell a story. It feels so much better than receiving a gift every second person will receive on Christmas. Would you agree?

Last but not least, if you’re interested in art and design exhibitions it’s worth checking out the back of the Oxo Tower Wharf and look for the premises of Bargehouse. From 2nd to 4th December 2016, The London Illustration Fair returns to the Bargehouse. I can’t wait to see the exhibition… and maybe go shopping after.

It’s that time of the year where I can finally start to think about Christmas again. Yay! Therefore, I couldn’t resist selecting the best Christmas gifts for him this year again. Yes, again! Because last year, my gift guide was a success. Finding a present for your friend, boyfriend, brother or father is not easy but I have found the coolest gifts for Xmas this year. Have a look at the below gifts and let me know what’s your favourite.

I’m always curious to discover new Xmas gift guides and I hope you’ll pick one of the best Christmas gifts for him this year. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal what I’m going to give to my boyfriend but I’ll let you know as soon as he unwraps the present. Luckily in Germany, we celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December so we don’t have to wait until Christmas Day.

Stay tuned for another gift guide soon! I have found so many amazing gift ideas but the worst is that I want to give them all to myself. I know, I know. That’s obviously super selfish and I’m not going to buy them (all) for myself. At least, my friends and family know that I really like the gifts because I would give them to myself. Is that bad or good?!

Back to the gifts for him… My favourite is the Tom Dixon Coffee Maker. I’d love to give this to my boyfriend as a present but unfortunately, he’s not a coffee drinker so it would be a little bit too obvious that this would be a present mainly for me hahaha

What’s your favourite stationery brand? I think I will never stop writing about stationery because I love it so much and I hope you do, too. This time, I want to introduce you to 3 amazing stationery brands you need in your life. Why? Because they will inspire you to be creative both with their designs and their blank papers. Where else is the best place to jot down your creative thoughts, right?!

I discovered Katie Housley Stationery only recently and I really love her style. Especially her new collection is gorgeous. She hand-paints the illustrations and sometimes adds a little touch to it, like gold paper. Her new collection is all about nature and I love the simplicity of her drawings. But I’m also a fan of her geometric cards which are so minimalist.

Do you remember Lonetree? I had an amazing interview with them on my blog already, therefore I couldn’t resist including them in my top list of amazing stationery brands. I love that they’re experimenting with nature but also humour. What a wonderful combination. ‘Milk & Gold’ as well as ‘Geometric in Nature’ are their latest collections, which were selected as finalists for the recent PaperAwards in both the Emotive and Exciting Use of Colour categories (love these categories). Congratulations to the team!

This luxury stationery brand was the first one I ever introduced you to on my blog – twice (here & here) – and I’m still a massive fan. I’m always curious what Katie Leamon Stationery is coming up with in their next collection and they never disappoint. Have you seen their gorgeous notebooks? I still have the Marbled 07 Notebook and guess what it’s still untouched, just because it’s so beautiful and precious. I want to save it for the perfect content. I know, I know, it’s ridiculous but I like the thought that it’s waiting for me there. One day…

Okay, my biggest creative project at the moment is maybe not what you think it is. Although it’s highly creative it has nothing to do with painting, drawing or DIY. If you need a reminder what ‘being creative’ means, read another blog post of mine here.

Since I started my own business, The Social Hunter, a lot of things have changed and I now try to combine my profession (social media) and my passion (this blog). So I partnered up with a friend to found Digital x 2. We want to run workshops and talks around social media and digital communications. But we don’t only want to talk about the usual stuff; that’s why we developed the ‘Become Your Own Brand Influencer‘ workshop. Our first workshop / talk will take place on 3rd November 2016 at Campus London. I’m so thrilled that the event is fully booked already but don’t worry we’re planning on running this workshop a couple of times due to high demand.

The idea of Digital x 2 started when my friend Emelie and I figured out we have so much expertise and stories to share. We wanted to speak to people and help them out. Our workshop should inspire people to think out of the box and be more creative in their professional lives. All this is a very exciting journey for me. I can talk about creative ideas all the time – here on my blog but also when I meet new clients.

Whatever you do I think these three steps might be useful in order to start a creative project.

Create a website (we used a WordPress template)

Get some nice photos (in this case we took some photos of us & collaborated with CMoreVision)

Start one or more social media channels around the project

Everything else will follow and you will figure things out on the way. Once we have run the workshop I will tell you all about my learnings. Promised!

My talented artist friend Natalja recently visited The Koppel Project in London and I’m very happy to present to you what she has discovered. After you’ve read all about The Koppel Project make sure to also check out her own artworks here.

Visiting The Koppel Project spaces was inspiring and moving. This art venue delves right into the most current events with their exhibition that centres on Colombia and its people.

Both a place for social engagement, as well as a commercial gallery, The Koppel Project is an interesting, inclusive space that infuses the local community with art. Spread across two spaces, one located in a decommissioned bank vault in 93 Baker Street, the other one situated in 26 Holborn Viaduct, the project encompasses studio spaces, a cafe, and co-working space, as well as Phaidon publishing house’s only UK bookstore.

In contrast to other, more commercial galleries, The Koppel Project offers mentoring to artists and writers and runs a program of free cultural events, on top of offering traineeships, work experience, and mentoring programs. It is actually a non-profit venture, run by Gabriella Sonabend and Hannah Thorne, the gallery co-directors and co-curators. An interesting mixture of a simultaneously commercial and educational space, both directors hope that the future of the project will include a flourishing educational program that runs alongside exhibitions that will help international artists sell excellent work as a crucial part of sustaining their practice.

Paintings by Gabriella Sonabend and sculpture by Sol Bailey Barker (The Hive)

Phaidon bookshop at The Koppel Project (Baker Street)

The current exhibitions, “From Myth To Earth” and “Mitologia De La Tierra”, are immersive, outwardly gorgeous, thematically ambitious and very current.

“From Myth To Earth” is comprised of work that Sol Bailey Barker and Gabriella Sonabend produced during their seven-month residency in Colombia, as well as during a year and a half of research thereafter. Sol’s and Gabriella’s works invite the viewer to see, feel, smell and listen, taking them through Colombian history, mythologies, folklore and landscapes. The exhibition is situated in the Koppel Project Hive in Holborn, it is spread over two floors and spans a variety of disciplines and media.

“Mitologia De La Tierra” complements the previously mentioned exhibition. It is comprised of work by a variety of Colombian artists and gives the viewer an inside perspective of the country and of Colombian identity. Both shows bring the country’s struggle to life, providing a background to the recent signing of the peace treaty between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla group and the subsequent rejection of it by a very fine margin of the population via a referendum.

Gabriella’s body of work consists of a series of paintings and several short stories that she wrote and that were then recorded as audio files. The former are vibrant figurative works, depicting, as seen through the artist’s eyes, the people she encountered in Colombia and their surroundings. Some of the colourful pigments used in these works were harvested in Colombia and now lend this series of paintings a unique charm.

Gabriella’s short stories are a jarring counterpoint to this seemingly idyllic imagery. They talk about casual greed, war, dehumanisation and how people strive to find solace in any kind of normalcy, numbed by the horrors befalling them. These stories can be listened to via several pairs of headphones while sitting down on a bench within a tin-hut that is open on one side; a semi-private setting I was grateful for when immersed in the intense narratives.

Where Gabriella’s work covers the visual and aural aspect of the exhibition, Sol’s creations are of sculptural and photographic nature. The materials used, span everything from local wood and metal to found objects, combining indigenous items and shapes with industrial materials. A lot of the sculptures seen in the exhibition are one of a pair of identical pieces. One of each of them was left in Colombia to decompose and rejoin their place of origin, representing the artist’s response to recent and historical events.

The sculptures that were left behind were documented via photographs, which are part of the exhibition in Holborn. The sculptures’ identical counterparts, physically present, invite the viewer to explore their textures and interact with them. Outwardly beautiful and light in shape, they simultaneously are an exploration of heavier themes, such as resistance and the turning of instruments of death into instruments of life.

The Koppel Project space in Baker Street is housing another side to the previously described exhibition. “Mitologia De La Tierra” is comprised of artwork by 7 Colombian artists whom Gabriella and Sol interacted with and were influenced by during their residency and whom they believe are key voices in understanding contemporary Colombian identity.

Similarly immersive to the show in Holborn, 93 Baker Street’s underground exhibition space is beautifully curated and leads the viewer through a labyrinth of sculptures, drawings, paintings, video and audio works that speak of individual narratives, self-expression within and outside of the country, as well as reflections on Colombia’s past and present. Most prevalent is a sense of mourning and also an enormous longing for hope for the future.

I went to Berlin for a couple of days and I couldn’t resist sharing with you the ultimate Berlin travel guide. I did some research before I visited Berlin and found some cool places on different websites, on Instagram or they were recommendations from friends. I thought that all the places I visited were absolutely amazing. You won’t regret checking these places out when you’re going to travel to Berlin.

Believe me, it won’t be the last time I come to this city. In fact, I want to move there. It’s a bit odd because I used to live in Berlin when I was a child but that’s such a long time ago. Berlin has changed so much and it’s one of my favourite cities in the world now. It’s super chilled out and there are so many places to discover, it never gets boring. I do think it’s a bit like East London, just bigger (PS: I love East London).

I hope you’ll enjoy this ultimate Berlin travel guide! Do let me know if you know of any other cool places in Berlin!

Restaurants & Cafés

House of Small Wonders is open during the day and serves breakfast and lunch. I just loved the entrance of this place. It does look like a small wonder, doesn’t it? It’s a very relaxed café. I would say it’s definitely worth a visit (hello, Instagram!) but I do have to mention that I wasn’t too impressed with their menu. It was basic food for quite a bit of money.

I found this place randomly when I was looking for a breakfast place in Berlin-Mitte, close to our Airbnb flat. Zimt und Zucker is right next to the river Spree and has indoor and outdoor seats. The food and the atmosphere were amazing! I have tried many different types of breakfast but I still think German breakfast is the best (okay, I’m biased). The bread is always so fresh and healthy and you have so much on your plate to choose from. I highly recommend this cute restaurant!

ME

Welcome to my blog! I'm glad you're here because this is the right place to get inspired. Together we can live a more creative life and discover the curious world of art and design.
I'm Uli & if you want to collaborate with me, send me an email at uli@foundsomepaper.com.